In search of market niches

19. February 2008

"An electronic market means reduced costs in seeking out new market niches." Enrique Fuentes, international sales representative for the citrus company García Ballester, which had €35 million in revenues in 2006 and has 500 employees, is clear on the issue. At this company, they work with one goal: to improve the quality of the raw material to offer a product that always satisfies clients’ demands.

Its 100 years of experience, guaranteeing excellence in its dealings and service, have led the Spanish company to make enormous efforts in exploring new markets that enable it to grow in the fruit sector, which is ever more aggressive due to the high level of competition. That is why García Ballester got into the business of distributing its product all across the globe. Today, over 95% of its production is exported to countries as varied as the United States, Canada, Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia or Russia. Its drive to expand has encouraged it to experiment and discover new ways of dealing in foreign trade, including the electronic market.

"In five years of experience, we have found new clients and suppliers in countries that are hard to access; especially in distant markets," remarks Fuentes, who admits that it is not as efficient in closer markets. "Certainly, some products require direct contact; not so much so with others," says the Spanish company’s representative.